Mountain Bike Groupset, on today if someone ask you the question what is a Mountain Bike without a groupset what do you answer?
If you ask my well you get a frame, wheels and suspension forks and some control items but you haven’t a Mountain Bike!
You must imagine a “groupset” of your Mountain Bike as engine room of your MTB, and your groupset is comprises the drivetrain and brakes.
Further your drivetrain comprise following components:
- Cranks, (front cogs)
- Bottom Brackets
- Cassette, (rear cogs)
- Chain
- Derailleur, (front , rear)
- Shifters
- Brakes
Simply explain, it like a closed circuit that powered your Mountain Bike a head. that by mans of your both legs!
To increase durability, shifting and efficiency of the performances what will automatic decreases the weight of your Mountain Bike you must invest more!
All what you must know about Mountain Bile Groupset’s you will learn here.
We will also explain all of his components named above included the function of each components.
And there is more, we will also explain the price difference and other information you need to know to decide with knowledge and independently if you buy your Mountain Bike!
Mountain Bike Components of Groupset Explained
Mountain Bike Components, in the picture here after we have visualized all of the components what is included in a Groupset.
As you can see there are 7 components in total, and here after we will go in detail in all of these 7 components so that you know all what you need to know as future Mountain Bike freak!
- 1- Crankset
- 2- Bottom Bracket
- 3- Cassette
- 4- Chain
- 5- Derailleur(s)
- 6- Shifters
- 7- Brakes
1 -Crankset – Component of Groupset!
Crankset attach the pedals on the bicycle, and what your legs push in circles when you petal.
The Crankset consist out of crank arms, chain-ring(s) of front cogs and to connect the 2 crank arms we need the axle!
The number of chainrings your Crankset has, learn you how many front gears your Mountain Bike has!
The Mountain Bike of today can have up to three chainrings, but keep in mind that on today the one chain-ring is then best solution!
As you eventual know the length of the crank arm play a important roll with the Road Bikes, but with Mountain Biking it’s matter not so much, there for lengths are more standard!
The crank length in biking influences your leverage against an average lover riding speed!
After years of experience the following norms are largely implement:
- Smaller Mountain Bike will use often 170mm crank arms!
- Medium-sized Mountain Bikes will often use 165mm crank arms!
- Downhill Mountain Bikes will use shorter crank arms as like 165mm
2 -Bottom bracket – Component of Group-set!
The Bottom Bracket set is a set of bearings where the crank-set spins on
The bottom bracket is attached within the frame construction, and to suite all frame designs there is need of a large array of options!
In fact there are two key types:
- MTB Bottom bracket who is thread into place (threaded)
- Mountain Bike Bottom brackets set who is pressed into place (press-fit)
Note that the press-fit bottom bracket rely on little tolerance, so the best choice is the bottom bracket threaded.
3 -Cassette – Component of Group-set!
Cassette are the rear cogs what is connect to the rear wheel.
If you want to know how many gear your Mountain Bike has, look to your rear cogs to know that by counting the number of rings!
Modern Mountain Bikes on today are mostly equipped by 8 a 12 gears!
4 -Chain – Component of Group-set!
Chain we all know what his function is so to fresh up, it’s what connect the front crankset that the rear cassette.
The logic is there, without the chain your Mountain Bike has no drive!
Usual made out of steel, exist out of a series of interconnected links what rotate smoothly. and we are sure that you have all ready remarked that twisting the chain laterally is difficult!
5 -Derailleur – Component of Groupset!
Derailleur are the guidance components between the cogs. They are activated by a cable or hydraulic fluid in appropriate tubes to put them in one direction, what will loading a spring tension within the derailleur to put them back wards!
We name it also “Mechanical or Hydraulic Shifting”
Mountain Bike are exposed mostly on rough terrain and there the rear derailleur is not so trustable and often create many problems as making a lot of noise and create a great potential to drop the chain!
In the latest years a “clutch” equipped rear derailleurs is become more common. This type of derailleur is creating a friction in the case where the chain is running, what makes your ride quieter and what is more important is the risk of drop your chain is significant lowered!
We see that more new features are appearing and tested such as Electronic Shifting!
This “Electronic Shifting” come with a premium price but are very efficient to over come the problem of “Mechanic Shifting“.
This new technologies who ad small servomotors on your derailleur, are very promising in removing risk of water, mud or in general wear affecting shift performance.
The reason with cable operating our mechanical system is that we must rely on precise cable condition and tensions to guarantee the accurate move of the derailleurs between gears!
So the unique solution to overcome all negative points of “Mechanical or Hydraulic Shifting” is the “Electronic Shifting”
6 -Shifters – Component of Groupset!
Shifters are mounted on the handlebars that within a comfortable reach, and are your controls to enacting gear change.
With mechanic cable the shifters are directly linked to the derailleurs
Trigger shifter are the most common type of shifters for a Mountain Bike. To actuate a shift you can use your thumb or finger.
You can also choose the grip shifter what is less common and where you can make a shift by twisting the grip.
Note that each brand has his way of shifting, so before you decide to buy please read carefully and inform you well!
- Grip shift.
- SHIMANO trigger.
- SRAM trigger.
7 -Brakes – Component of Groupset!
Brakes are a traditional part of a Groupset of Mountain Bikes.
All does many things are change in the past time and the disk brakes has becoming the standard choose in Mountain Bikes.
In the past decade rim brakes where popular, now disk brakes are every where fractured on just about any Mountain Bike of +500$!
There are two categories Disc Brakes:
- Hydraulic
- Mechanical
The hydraulic brakes is likely the technology of the automotive industry, use fluid to transfer the force from brake lever to brake pads. Disc Brake hydraulic system is sealed with low operating cost and easy to operate.
In conclusion we can say that mechanical disc brakes are still the common choice for lower end Mountain Bikes because the hydraulic system become to expensive.
In that case we use still the wire cables to transfer the force between the brake lever and the brake pads.
Because that system is not sealed so rust, dirt, cable stretch and others wear factors can influence the brake quality!
For that reason the brake pads need regularly simple adjustment what is not needed in the hydraulic system where all is in general atomized.
Mountain Bike Groupset – Gears, ratios and Numbers!
Mountain Bike Groupset, the engine and gears found in a car you can compare with the gears on your Mountain Bike where your legs must be seen as your motor of your bike!
Also here the different gear ratios are the results of how far the wheel spins in relation to the crank at the front.
As result easier or lower gears is where the rear wheel that turns less in relation to the crank.
The harder or higher gears is where the rear wheel that turns more in relation to the crank.
In many cases Mountain Biking is involved low gearing that to scale up steep hills what overcome loose terrain.
Because of above Mountain Bikes are use special gear ratios that related on rugged terrain and consequently lower average speeds in comparing with other cycling sports!
As we know out of experiments that bigger wheels diameter make the gearing harder, so if you increase your wheel size the gearing become more easier!
It is important the know that the available gear range and the number of gears is total different!
The gear range handle about:
Refers to the span for the hardest (high) to the very easiest (low) gear
The gear number that you have is about:
A Mountain Bike with 8 gears can have the same high and low span as a Mountain Bike with 20 gears!
To calculate the gears of a mountain Bike you must multiply the number of cogs (8) at the back wheel cassette, with the number of cogs (2) chainrings at the front crank, in this case the Mountain Bike has 16 speed gears!
Gear Rang in Mountain Biking – About the importance’s!
Gear Rang Mountain Biking, understand gear rang is becoming increasingly important, and that is also the reason why modern Mountain Bikes shift away of 3 chainrings on the front to maximum 2 or in the most cases just 1 chainrings on the front!
The new approach is relate on the new cassettes that are developed and offered a better gear ranges!
After all there are many reason to use a fewer front gears on your Mountain Bike and the mean reasons are easier operation, more simplicity and improve reliability.
And it is also a fact that when you use two our three chainrings you will have always overlapping/redundant gears what make a 27 speed drivetrain offered only 18 true unique ratios!
Use less chainrings reduces overlapping!
To calculate the exact gear ration of your Mountain Bike you need to know the number of teeth on the individual chainrings and rear cogs.
Start with the MTB Chain-ring:
If the Chain-ring has the fewer teeth (smaller), the lower the gear is.
Start with the Cassette:
If the Cassette cog with the most teeth (biggest), the lower the gear is.
If you reverse above calculation you will have the highest gear!
This will be the biggest chain-ring matches with the smallest rear cog!
It can become more confused when you compare with other popular bikes, where it is the way around means Chainrings are bigger and cassettes are smaller!
Further more I want to mention some other interesting components of your Mountain Bike who are as important that all mention components here above!
The components that we haven’t yet discussed are
- Suspension on the front.
- Suspension on the rear.
- Wheels.
- Shifters.
Groupset Related Brands – With Basic Explanation!
Groupset related brands, the Groupset manufacturing market are controlled by two brands who are Shimano and SRAM.
Here after you will find in short the outline of what is available of both brands!
Shimano – Mountain Bike Group-set and Spares Manufacturer
The biggest and best range Mountain Bike groupsets you will find with the market leader in bike components Shimano!
The most Shimano’s groupsets can work together if they share the same number of gears!
All does to optimize performance it is better to keep uniform!
Rapid fire technology is used for the shifters on Shimano mountain Bikes, and with your thumb you operate one shift lever and move the derailleur in one direction, and with your forefinger you operate the others to send the derailleur in the oppose direction!
Starting from the Alivo type up the forefinger lever can also be operate by your thumb.
Rapid Fire allowed multiple gearshifts with one large thumb lever and on the more expensive model both levers can shift multiple gears in one single push!
Below is a brief breakdown of Shimano’s mountain bike groupsets.
Shimano’s, mentioned models below are the models you’re likely to find on 2018 model bikes.
On the 2018 Mountain Bikes you find the mention under models!
- Tourney: Shimano’s budget groupset.
- Altus: Shimano’s Entry level groupset Altus.
- SLX: SLX is one of the best groupset.
- XTR: The gold standard of mountain bike groupset.
- XTR Di2: One of the best groupset in Shimano’s mountain bike range
- Alivio: Shimano’s Alivio is top recreational’ mountain bike groupsets.
- Deore: Deore is most aimed groupset.
- Zee: Groupset designed specifically for downhill and free riding,
- Acera: Shimano’s Acera appears as entry-level bikes groupset.
- Saint: Groupset similar in level to Shimano XTR.
- XT: One of Mountain Biking’s most popular groupset,
- XT Di2: XT also comes in an electronic version ‘XT Di2’ groupset
SRAM – Mountain Bike Group-set and Spares Manufacturer
Manufacturer SRAM is supplier of multiple kinds groupsets and is becoming one of the most progressive companies in the Mountain Bicycle industry, that by introducing as first the 2 drive trains and after the 1 drivetrain that as mainstream!
SRAM’s groupsets are not as well defined that his competitor Shimano, they are mixing and matching their components, a method what typical is found by the lower end products!
As we have already mention before they are fast moving to 1 specific drivetrain for all of there groupset options.
What is also unique with SRAM parts is that between series all parts are interchangeable!
The SRAM shifting came in two styles:
- Grip Shifter
- Trigger Shifter
About Grip Shifters
SRAM has started with the Grip shifter, who works by twisting the handlebar grip, but it is never being popular, and this days its not found anymore on new Mountain Bikes!
The Grip shifter Its only available as aftermarket option!
About Trigger shifting:
The standard choice shifting for SRAM is trigger shifting what is working similar of Shimano’s Rapid Fire system.
With SRAM trigger shifting with a push of your thumb you operate two levels. This thumb operating system has prompted Shimano to added this option too on the more expensive shifters, that design make it possible to shift in the both direction and execute brake control on the same time!
Below is a basic breakdown of SRAM’s groupsets.
Mentioned models below are the models you’re likely to find on 2018 model bikes.
On the 2018 Mountain Bikes you find the mention under models!
- X5: This start-level.
- X9: Building features X7.
- X7: This groupset intermediate.
- X1: First on 2015introduced.
- XO1 Eagle: X01 Eagle latest version of X01
- XX1 Eagle: SRAM’s latest and most premium groupset.
- NX: SRAM’s newest groupset.
- GX: GX confusingly overlaps with X1, X7 and X9.
- GX Eagle: Released middle 2017.
- XO1: SRAM’s first offering of carbon fiber.
- XX1: Where X01 is SRAM’s finest for Enduro and trail riders,
Enjoy!
Mountain Bike Groupset and Components Explained – Related Video!
Youtube video Mountain Bike Groupset and Components Explained related Video, we on Sourcing4-You.com may present our audience this video: How to Remove & Install Shimano Cranks, that with courtesy of Youtube.com
Published on Aug 29, 2015, under category Sports and Standard YouTube License;
The subject: How to Remove & Install Shimano Cranks
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